LTO issues show cause order vs truck driver, owner in Marikina crash

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) issued Thursday a show cause order against the driver and registered owner of the trailer truck involved in the fatal collision of multiple vehicles in Marikina City.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said the summon marked the initial phase of the investigation, as the driver and registered owner of the truck are expected to explain their side.

“We want to know what really happened, and part of it is to determine if there were lapses on the part of the registered owner in terms of truck maintenance and the condition of the driver at the time of the accident,” Mendoza said in a statement.

The Marikina Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) said that the incident happened at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, along Fortune Avenue, when the trailer truck had a mishap colliding and leaning on other vehicles, including two passenger jeepneys, two cars, and one SUV.

Three people were killed while 10 others were injured following the six-vehicle pileup.

The trailer truck driver is currently under the custody of the Marikina City Police, and is facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple injury with multiple damage to property.

Mendoza said the truck driver will be asked to explain why he should not be punished for reckless driving and be deemed as a person improper to operate a motor vehicle.

He also emphasized that the probe aims to identify if the truck was being properly maintained. LTO investigators will also look into possible overloading.

The driver’s license of the truck driver was already suspended, while the truck itself was placed under alarm, said the agency.

Local government personnel also held a cleanup operation so that the road where the accident occurred may be passable again to motorists. —Giselle Ombay/AOL, GMA Integrated News